Hello nosleep people.

I've never actually posted on the r/nosleep but I've been an avid reader on-and-off for a long time and wrote horror or atmospheric stories for myself and others for a while as well without sharing any on there. I've been playing around with a few ideas that I wanted to see on that subreddit for a few weeks but I'm a little confused as to what is and isn't doable. I've read the guidelines so I know that technically what I have in mind is allowed, but I also know that r/nosleep used to have certain rules that might go against what I want to write and I don't know if those rules have flat out changed or if they're just unspoken and, thus, not on the guidelines proper. Mainly the "true account from MC perspective" deal that seems to be the norm.

To be more specific: I had in mind a series (unlimited number) of stories, all different in the style of horror and so technically all standalones, but all recounted through the lens of a character working for an SCP-style organization or à là Magnus Archives, depending on what reference makes the most sense to you. Basically a character that researches and categorizes metaphysical phenomenon and recounts events that happened to others through their time working in that organization.

Example: a well that terrorized new tenants of the house and forced them to drown. the MC would give basic explanation and classification for the "anomaly" and then would share, let's say, a statement or journal entries written/given by one of the people who lived through the horrors from their POV, and then the post would end with some more notes on the case from the MC. So there would still be the "horror story told by the main character as a real event" type of beat as standalones stories but surrounded by bits and pieces of a larger universe/storyline that loosely ties each post together.

I'm simply wondering if it's something that would be allowed/welcome on r/nosleep or rather frowned upon? And, since I'm already here, if a new SCP/Magnus Archive style of narrative, with its own quirks of course, would be something that people might enjoy to see come to light or if they'd rather not? However I want to be clear that this is not a veiled attempt at selling this concept and self-promote myself in advance since, if I start sharing those stories, it'll be done on a different account with no link to this one whatsoever!

Thanks in advance for the insight!

Greetings NoSleep OOC,

As mentioned in an earlier post, Shadow Box Archives is a new horror-leaning story and art community on Patreon, featuring, among others, work by viral and notable NoSleep authors. We also have the doors open for sharing of stories and art by all in our chats, events, and Open Box post prompts.

The first two narrations dropped this week! "Homunculus Recipe" by thatreallyshortchick was narrated by Jordan Grupe and "What I've Always Been" by H.R. Welch was narrated by SomberReads. Thank you to the authors and narrators and the members who voted through likes.

Homunculus Recipe 🎙Narration🎙 | Patreon

What I've Always Been 🎙Narration🎙 | Patreon

Narrated Stories | Collection from Shadow Box Archives | 2 posts | Patreon

For narrations, we are selecting our top two highest liked featured stories from the previous month to be narrated, and featured stories by those two authors got the most likes for the month of October. We're letting our members decide with their likes which stories get narrated.

Narrations on Shadow Box Archives are early release, like featured posts, and will be available to the public seven days after posting. As previously mentioned, stories and artwork on SBA are free, with featured posts becoming free after seven days. Any profits from plus/premium audience-oriented perks go towards paying featured contributors and admins/moderators equally.

Shadow Box Podcast is also on the way! For fans of horror, creepypasta, true crime, and real paranormal, Shadow Box Podcast will take the listener down dark paths where fiction ends and reality begins. We're aiming to get the first episode out next month.

Gratefully,

RTI/Victor Sweetser

Lately I've been listening to a lot of horror stirues on YouTube and noticed a lot of there thumbnails look kinda like they were made with ai. Is there like a website or deviantart page.

The "deep web" is not the same thing as the dark web. I don't know how many stories I've seen where the author obviously means the latter but calls it the former, and it's just distracting and pulls you out of the story.

The deep web is just anything not indexed by search engines. Private forums and bank records are part of the "deep web."

The dark web is stuff you need Tor to access, illegal content, that kind of thing.

Hey, I've recently added a new features on StoryNote: listing narrations of NoSleep/Reddit stories, and the ability to find them easily!

Here is how it looks on the desktop version of the website: GIF

And on mobile: GIF

On a subreddit/author page, you just have to click the button "Only show posts with narrations", and you'll get only narrated posts in the results!

If you're a narrator and you are interested in being featured on StoryNote, you just need to send me a list/spreadsheet where each line is a link to a Reddit post and the link to the corresponding Youtube video of your narration separated by a comma.

At the moment, there are only 2 videos listed since I just created this feature, but I hope StoryNote can become a comprehensive hub for narrations also!

i was looking for good horror/mystery books, and thought who better to ask than my favorite story tellers? what are your favorites?

Funny enough my introduction to /nosleep was completely accidental, I used to watch a streamer called NoSleepTV and while looking for his reddit to get into a advice show he used to do I ended up ~there~ and haven't had a good nights sleep ever since. (2016) I would randomly get on and read stories from time to time but only in the past year have I been reading frequently. I really do wish I was active when some of my favorite stories I've stumbled upon were newly written, I haven't had a scenario where I've had to wait for the author to give a update on their post, I can't even imagine the suspense!

How did YOU get into creepypastas/nosleep? :)

( I tried to search for any post/topic about this, surprisingly I couldn't find any but if I missed it somehow please delete this and I'll know to search more thoroughly)

You wanted it, you asked for it, now you've got it — for the time being, r/nosleep is suspending some of its guidelines. Consider this an experiment; we'll see how it goes and whether it'll continue long term. Be aware that adjustments may have to be made as the experiment goes on, so check r/nosleepooc for information.

##IN BRIEF: WHAT THIS MEANS (THE BORING PART)

• r/nosleep still has Posting Guidelines which you need to carefully and thoroughly read before posting as they're your only warning. Failing to read and follow these revised guidelines is on you and will lead to subreddit bans. The revised guidelines include:

  • 24 Hour/1 Post Per Day | Audio, Image, Video | Codes and Puzzles | Discreet Links
  • Formatting | Identifying Information/Doxxing | Main Characters (Victimization) | Mental/Physical Health
  • Modmail, Removals and Reposts | Unacceptable Horror | Use of Intellectual Properties

• As always, you also have to abide by Reddit's Terms of Service and Reddiquette.

• If your post is removed, r/nosleep and r/nosleepauthors Mods won't offer in-depth explanations or help fixing your story. They also won't offer pre-post approval or in-depth reviews. Be sure to carefully and thoroughly read the revised Reposting Guidelines.

• If you're new to Reddit, you'll need to check the Beginner's Guide to Reddit for help.

• There won't be any more official r/nosleep events or contests.

• If you find your story has been plagiarised, contact Reddit directly.

##IN BRIEF: WHAT THIS MEANS (THE FUN PART)

• NO IMMERSION.

• NO PLAUSIBILITY.

• NO EVENT OR CONSEQUENCE.

• NO SCARED MAIN CHARACTER.

• Want to write in 3rd person omni? Go for it!

• Want to write in future tense? Go for it!

• Want to have your character trapped in a time loop but unable to remember that so they repeat the beginning of the story at the end? Go for it!

• Want to write that our reality is a simulation, or that the world ended, or that we've all been mind-wiped to forget important events? Go for it!

• Want to post stories that are mostly a list of rules or instructions for a ritual? Go for it!

• Want to post "It was all a dream" or "I had a bout of sleep paralysis" stories? Go for it!

• Want to post "I think I saw something scary but I'm not sure" stories with no in-story proof? Go for it!

• Want your main character to be a mouse or a scorpion or a jetski or a showerhead or a stove? Go for it!

• Want your main character to be at the bottom of the ocean or in space or in an alternate dimension with no possible way of posting to Reddit? Go for it!

We'll let you know if anything changes. Happy early holidays!

This is my idea:
A girl finds an old-looking book in the attic. She reads through the first page and decides that this is a good way to start an r nosleep post. The book is in 3rd perspective but is limited. The first chapter follows a man called 'Milan' who gets suddenly transported into what he thinks is a different dimension compared to reality, despite the appearance of said dimension being an oil tanker ship. He plans to escape, though he does not give the reader knowledge on why he would know how to escape such a place. The story slowly reveals how he is there, why he is there, and what horrors he faces, along with some person he also meets who has been there way longer than him.

Though I am not planning to outright tell the readers why it is in 3rd person and not 1st in all the way at the end of this story, the intention is to show that there was an actual greater force that produced this 'novel' based on what it had seen, felt and heard.

My question is: can I make a story about liminal space, or is that too unbelievable? The readers are not plunged into it immediately but it gradually becomes clear that it is in later parts/chapters. I hope this doesn't sound like an excuse, just want to include this; I am inspired by Left, Right Game, HOWEVER, my story is not an exact carbon copy, just similarities.

Hey ya'll. I recently discovered the Correspondence series and have gotten super into it. I'm a little confused on how abruptly the story stops. It seems like at the time the story had a huge following and it an interview posted here it seems like Bloodstains had much more to contribute and was getting into writing even more kinds of stories. That was 6 years ago and there doesn't seem to be any update with the story or the writer. I wanted to know if anyone had any info I missed or if this only adds to the mystery of it all?

Thanks!

Hi guys! I hope this is acceptable by the rules, if not mods I apologize!

I started writing on r/NoSleep in 2019, a bit before the pandemic, and in this community I found a reignited passion for literature and a modicum of success in my writing that has served to push me into attempting to take this thing as far as I can.

As a part of that, I recently entered a tournament, and long story short I actually managed to move on to round 2 of 3. The prize on the line is a significant sum of cash, and more importantly, a deal to continue writing with the company which would be a big break for me.

I’d appreciate if anyone who was able could make an account and vote here for “Empowered” in Tapas Action Fantasy Tournament and help me take this thing all the way!

https://www.creators.tapas.io/tapas-af-tourney

Would it be okay and normal for me to post a story to promote like my book or podcast? Basically like any media not on this platform but the story would still be on here too!

Doesn’t necessarily have to be no sleep related I’m working on a novel and I’m lucky enough to have a family member who works professionally in the field and really enjoys seeing “outsider” work. But I’m also working on a no sleep submission it would be fun to get feedback vice/versa.. see tropes and clunkiness I can’t.. etc.. Trust is huge deal so I could see why people would worry. Just wondering if this is a thing?

Hi All,

About two years ago, I started spending the majority of my free time writing stories to post here on NoSleep. Thanks to the encouragement of the community I found here, a creative block that had been haunting me for years disappeared, and I ended up writing dozens of stories and series in just a short time.

One of the most popular of these, The House That Eats the Dead, ended up winning the award for 2023's best series and attracted the attention of my now agent, Maria Brannan at Greyhound Literary, who has has exceeded all expectations as an editor and advocate.

I'm happy to announce today that I've expanded the series into a novel, which will be published by Tor Nightfire in August of 2026.

https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/tor-uk-scores-two-books-from-debut-author-max-doty

Without the community, the book would have never existed, and I'm filled with tremendous gratitude to the mods, fellow writers, and readers who created a space for this writer to play in. Special thanks need to go to u/GTripp14 who helped me learn the tricks of the trade when I was still struggling to get a single upvote and u/TheCusterWolf, whose generous efforts running contests and communicating the mod team's thoughts were instrumental in my development.

With gratitude,

scarymaxx

I just posted my second story and I'm still kinda on edge. I was kinda this way with my first but I feel I'm actually even more anxious the second time around for whatever reason.

I just have a fear of leaving stories dull and unfinished after hours and hours of work put into them. I guess I'm just nervous I didn't do enough.

I’ve seen the occasional theme or event recently but I was wondering if nosleep still hosts contests? I can only find archives of them from last year and before, Thank you!

Inspired by yesterday's post about whether current NoSleep rules are restrictive, I thought it would be worthwhile to actually discuss what rules are or are not working for you. Whatever your thoughts, let them rip, but please be civil and not just shout a list of demands at the moderators.

Is there one rule in particular that you loathe? Or one that you love? Are you happy with NoSleep in 2024 or worried it's lost some magic? If a very niche and not terribly powerful yet well-meaning genie granted you a wish to change NoSleep today, what would you wish for?

It's not the most realistic opinion but I'd love for NoSleep to at least try stripping away the OSHA manual of rules down to the marrow of what the subreddit has always been:--a virtual campfire to tell scary stories that could be real.

In that spirit, these would be my four NoSleep rules:

1. Posts must be stories. They need to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. That can be in one post or across a series.
2. The story can't be easily disproven. Remember that everything is real here, even when it isn't. If your story is about how all of the skyscrapers in Detroit came to life last night and are currently invading St. Louis, a quick Google Search reveals that's not true so that's not NoSleep.
3. The stories have to contain horror and should be scary. There's no metric for how scary they need to be but the intent to make readers shiver should be obvious.
4. Stories can be upsetting or unusual but not hateful or tasteless. There is a big, subjective border between art and awful so as much leeway as possible is given here but hate-speech and bigotry aren't tolerated (I think r/ShortScaryStories has a good model for this rule already worth copying).

And that's...pretty much it. Campfire, s'mores, undulating shadows under the trees behind you, tell us your ghost story/spooky encounter, would be my perfect NoSleep.

What about you?

https://youtu.be/lfmoK41YGDA?si=D8JGbGtbH8xfMM0x

Edit for context:

This is a video from the channel We Are Not Alive, this in particular discusses Nosleep or more particularly its rules and guidelines as well as the Magnus Archives and other examples of good horror writing that would never be accepted in Nosleep. As well as the nature of the amount of restrictions the subreddit has in regards to creative freedom and writer agency. For the most part this is in a negative light, and I have mixed opinions in regards to some of the issues brought up especially earlier on.

The reason I say mixed is because while I think there’s a certain point their arguments devolve into “this subreddit would be better if it wasn’t itself” which I don’t agree with. I also, as a fledgling writer who’s only previous experience with writing is in regards to WIP fanfiction, trying to get into or practice horror via nosleep in the past has felt overwhelming or that the story would not work because of some minor part of the plot breaking a rule and then falling apart to try and salvage the story. Which is why I have yet to make my first nosleep. But I also can say that some of the stories posted onto Nosleep really evoke that terror in me, so I obviously have a great fondness for the sub despite my own shortcomings.

Long timer lurker, first time poster. I stumbled across a tutorial for those stupid brainrot narration videos posted on TikTok that sickened me. Bro really said: "I asked ChatGPT to turn it into 1st person and asked it to simplify the story." and "There are tons of stories to choose from!" Fucking 'simplify', smh. They're really making money off creepypasta (and surely NoSleep) stories without crediting. That's fucking bullshit. And the comments are worse. There're people praising this and saying they can't wait to make money. And a few people complaining that TikTok took their videos down and flagged it 'for some reason'. Bruh. Maybe because you are stealing stories without crediting? That shit pissed me off soooo much. I have the urge to retaliate against that type of content by posting my own stories there, narrated by myself, and not using 'brainrot trap' gaming clips. Wish there was more we could do about this. What do y'all think?

###TRAPPEDOWEEN is now over. THANK YOU to all who participated through writing, reading and all-out supporting!

NoSleep's 3 Day October Event – Trappedoween – has begun and will run until 11:59 PM EST on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2024. If you're not sure about time zones, try using timebie.com's EST converter.

For this event ONLY, all main characters are trapped in a looping location and the Incapacitated/Incarcerated rule is suspended.

If you're participating, feel free to link to your submission in the comments below!

Quick reminders:

* ALL OTHER NOSLEEP RULES ARE STILL IN EFFECT. These stories still have to be scary personal experiences! All submissions should be standalones/one-parters, must be at least (minimum) 500 words and are subject to Reddit's 40,000 CHARACTER post limit. Use wordcounter.net for a more accurate count before posting.

* Every event post must be flaired with TRAPPEDOWEEN2024.

* Non-event stories can still be posted! If you're not participating in the event and want to post a "regular" NoSleep story, it must follow all rules – including Incapacitated/Incarcerated.

* More helpful links: Reddit App Users Please Read, Formatting for NoSleep, Editing Your Post, NoSleep's Reposting Rules.

Good luck and have fun!

I'm not going to say which writer it is, but I suspected their post was writting by AI. It had all the same punctuation and formatting that ChatGpt uses, and the same phrasing of words and sentence structure. I ran the story through the AI detector and it came back 41% AI. The problem is, other stories from the same author had the same punctuation and the same phrasing but didn't come back as written by AI. Now, a lot of there stories registered as being written by AI and some didn't. But I ran a story they had on nosleep through the detector and it came back written 71% AI. But then I ran the same story that they reposted in Short Scary Stories and it came back 100% human written. How could that be? Which one do should I take as a confirmation that the story is written by AI or Written by the Author?

Hey Guys!
I try to read as many stories as I can and upvote and comment when I can. I try to support this sub as much as possible with my limited time, because I enjoy it. Lately, I have been reading stories that I highly suspect are AI written.

I know we can report them, but is there a good metric for verifying they are actually written by AI? I have been using Quillbot - https://quillbot.com/ai-content-detector , which has a free AI content detector. I have two stories that I am writing and when I use the content detector it returns 100% human. I have messed with some AI writing and tested that with quillbot. It said 60% written by AI, but I didn't actually write any of that one. I kept giving the AI directions and got it down to 30% AI detected.

So, now when I run into stories I suspect are AI I run them through this. (Some stories have been 86-100% AI, some lower.) I actually do this for almost every story now, just so I don't waste time reading something that I don't want to support. Any time given to AI is time away from good intentioned authors. I want to continue supporting you all, and I want to have a story up there some day, but I want to make sure I am not just crazy.

Edit: Comment if you are an author who can stand up to the 100% human. I would love to support you too.

I’ve noticed recently how much more frequently I see comments that compliment the writing of a post in a decidedly out-of-character manner. It’s possible I’d never noticed before, but it feels to me like either people don’t realize that’s how the subreddit works anymore or the comments just aren’t being deleted like they used to be.

##The theme for r/nosleep's 3-Day Halloween event is TRAPPEDOWEEN.

Each story must feature your Main Character trapped in one (1) location and unable to get out of that location, no matter what or how many times they try. Maybe your main character went to a Halloween party at a friend’s place and is trapped in their basement; maybe they went to an office Halloween party and can't seem to leave the parking lot. Maybe they're trapped in a ski lodge or a cottage or their own apartment or an elevator or a bathroom stall at the Halloween costume store. The choice is up to you!

###Here's a 15 second Youtube clip from Matrix Revolutions as an example of the looping location.

• Stories must be written in first person and must be scary personal experiences — no found media stories OR time loops.

• The location must be on our present-day Earth, in our present-day reality and posts are made to r/nosleep in real-time: if you post your story on October 29, 2024, your character is posting on October 29, 2024. They're not posting in July 1973 or in the year 2356, etc.

• For this event ONLY, we're suspending the Main Characters: Incapacitated, Incarcerated rule which means your Main Character doesn't have to have an internet-capable device with an internet connection to post; they can also be in jail/prison, a hospital, locked in a cage, at the bottom of the ocean, etc. This rule will be back in effect for every post after the Trappedoween event.

• Mods won’t review removed event posts so if your event post is removed, it stays removed. r/nosleep repost guidelines are still in effect for Trappedoween, which means no unauthorized reposts.

##Trappedoween runs from 12:01 A.M. EST Tuesday, October 29th through to 11:59 P.M. EST on Thursday, October 31st.

If you're not sure about timezones, try Dateful.Com's Time Zone Converter.

##EVENT DETAILS.

• You don't have to participate in the event but any non-Trappedoween stories must follow all of r/nosleep's guidelines, including Incapacitated/Incarcerated.

• To participate, you MUST flair each of your r/nosleep entries with the appropriate flair (announced closer to the 29th) AND comment with the link to your entry/ies on the official event post which will be made in r/nosleepooc on the 29th.

• REMINDER: This is not a time loop; your main character is trapped in one (1) location and always ends up in that same location no matter how many times they try to leave but time can move on as usual. The character can escape at the end so long as the majority of the story has the character trapped.

• The location is up to you but it must be primarily one (1) place, fully- or semi-enclosed. It also shouldn't literally be "Hotel California" or based on the song’s lyrics.

• What happens to your character, aside from being trapped, is up to you — maybe they're more concerned about whomever they're trapped with than the fact they are trapped — but there still must be an Event and a Consequence to your Main Character.

• All properly-flaired submissions will be collected in a post after the event.

##Remember to modmail any questions to the r/nosleep mods!

Good luck, have fun and happy Hallowe'en!

Hello,

I just wanted to share a website that's useful for us NoSleep readers!

I've been reading NoSleep for more than a decade, and I really love it. The problem is: it's not easy to see if you've already read a story when you're browsing, for example, the top posts of the year or an author's profile.
Also, you can't give ratings or mark stories as favorite, so it's not easy to find all your favorite stories if you want to re-read them or share them with someone else.

Speaking of sharing stories, it's also not convenient. You have to write a list of links yourself and send it to someone, or post it somewhere.
If you ever want to change that list, you have to re-send a new message or edit it everywhere you've posted it.

These are the pain points I wanted to solve for myself, and decided to make a website for it so that it's available for everyone.

On StoryNote, you can mark a post as read by checking a box next to the post, thus allowing you to see easily see which posts you've already read.
You can also favorite them with the heart button, and give them a rating. GIF showcasing these actions

There is also an automatic series detection. When you go on the page of a post, if it is part of series, it will link the other parts. See for example the Left/Right Game series.

The inference algorithm is very basic, so there are some mistakes (posts missing from a series, or adding posts not from that series). Manual corrections will be needed!

You can search posts in a subreddit filtering by the title, and also by year: GIF showing how it works

You can create lists of posts, to categorize posts as you like.
For example, here is a list of NoSleep stories featuring strange hitchhikers, because I like that kind of stories 😛: https://storynote.org/list/nosleep-stories-featuring-strange-hitchhikers-foQg9u

Lists can be private (only you can see them in your "Custom lists" page), or public.
A public list will appear on your profile and also in the page of the posts featured in that list.

For example, in the page of the post "How to Summon the Butter Street Hitchhiker", the list "NoSleep stories featuring strange hitchhikers" will be displayed. It's a nice way to potentially find similar or other relevant posts from a particular post page.

There are no actual post content stored in StoryNote, it just redirects to Reddit! Also, every post are not indexed at the moment. NoSleep is almost complete (it's missing posts from 2024), but many others subreddits only have just a few posts indexed. I'll add more, and you can also directly ask me if you want me to add a specific subreddit sooner.

The signup is really easy, you can use Google OAuth or use nickname/password with an optional email field. The email will be used for the “Reset password” functionality, which I have not implemented yet 🙈

I would love to hear any kind of feedback you may have! The address is https://storynote.org

Anyone else notice just how many nosleep stories fit one of these two patterns?

1. "I live in/work in/visited (place) and there are weird rules"

2. "On a regular basis, a (person/entity) passes by (laughing/screaming/crying/knocking) and we're not supposed to notice/react"

Not saying its good or bad. Just saying its a really common trope I've noticed over the years.

I didn't really get it. Was the girl some sort of waterdemon? XD

Happy Spooky Season!! 🎃🍂

Are any NoSleep authors using Substack? I've just started and I have to say I'm very impressed with the platform. Only thing is I need people to follow on there (especially if you post short fiction).

Going forward I'll be posting short spooky stories on my Substack every Thursday! You can view my latest story The Exocyde Game or my landing page here.

I'd love to connect with other horror/sci-fi writers!

— Jack

Hello! I’ve never written a nosleep story but have an idea that I wanna do just for the sake of doing it (not trying to break new ground or make a literary masterpiece lol). I mostly want to use this format as a way of telling the story in a more immersive way rather than just saying “something crazy happened to me and for some reason I’m telling reddit about it,” ya know? How would I go about having a character ask for early advice in other reddits? Obviously feel weird about telling a fake story in a real subreddit- and I WON’T be doing that.

Here’s a few examples of what I mean:

• Character wants to know about the most effective fly/roach killing methods.

• Asking about animal behavior like r/dogs or r/askvet etc.

• Asking about mushroom identification.

• Idk maybe the character is a gamer and interacts in those subreddits.

How would you go about making in character advice posts or replies WITHOUT actually posting in real subreddits? I want it to seem like you just stumbled on this guys reddit account and you can follow through his posts as they’re escalating, without him straight up telling you the story all together as a story. Not going to use all of the examples I named btw lol. Also it’s 4:30am- please excuse possible grammatical errors and unnecessary rambling.